Did John Wayne Ever Punch a Frank Sinatra Bodyguard?

I keep hearing different versions of the same story. In the 1960s, "in a Las Vegas hotel" about an incident when John Wayne was awakened by a noisy party in a room occupied by Frank Sinatra. After phone calls, Wayne banged on Sinatra's door and demanded to see Sinatra. Wayne ended up punching a Sinatra bodyguard. How much of this is true and which hotel was this?

We don't hear different versions of this story. We've only ever heard the same exact story, repeated ad nauseum.

And it goes like this.

John Wayne was trying to get some shuteye in a "Las Vegas hotel" suite directly below Frank Sinatra's. Sinatra was hosting a noisy party and Wayne called up politely a few times to ask them to pipe down. The noise abated for a bit, then got going again. Finally, Wayne got dressed, knocked on Sinatra's door, and called him out in some colorful language.

A bodyguard about the size of Wayne (six-four) came to the door and said, "No one talks to Mr. Sinatra like that."

Wayne shrugged and went to walk away, then turned and sucker punched the bodyguard, knocking him to the floor. Wayne returned to his room and everything was quiet for the rest of the night.

We don't know where this story was first told. The furthest back we could trace it was to a 2007 book called The Quotable John Wayne: The Grit and Wisdom of an American Icon. It's only one paragraph, so there are precious few details, such as the hotel in which it occurred; thus, to answer your second question, we can only say we don't know.

As for your first question, it sounds somewhat apocryphal to us.

It's known, in general, that John Wayne and Frank Sinatra didn't see eye to eye politically and that they were engaged in something of an on-again off-again feud over the years. Both were alpha males and could get violent on occasion.

But the lack of details -- where and when it happened, the movie that Wayne had to get up early for, why Sinatra was also at that hotel, who the bodyguard was, whether or not charges were pressed, etc., gives us pause. The account has never been independently verified, at least as far as we know, and the book itself is a bit suspect; one review we saw called it a "trivial ill-conceived notebook of scantily researched material." Other reviews were equally dismissive. And we could find nothing about the compiler of the book, Carol Lea Mueller, other than she was a trivia buff.

All in all, we tend to doubt it. But if anyone out there in QoDland knows any differently, we're all ears, Pilgrim.

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Comments

Henry Jul-28-2023

BS

The worst Sinatra fantasy is the one about him supposedly ending segregation in Las Vegas because Our Savior Frank stands up to the racist mob bosses and tells them, "either Sammy gets to stay at the hotel or I never perform here again." The hero worship prevalent in some of these stories is embarrassing. I worry that the people who believe stuff like this will believe anything fed to them on the internet. 

“The Quotable John Wayne” is a new book so this is a new fantasy. The hotel is not named because it never happened.

Doc H Aug-07-2023

Could be

Seems that it could very well have all been made up, who knows. When a book is for sale, who's going to want to read basic bland stories. Hype sells. And indeed about the masses. Remove the letter 'M' and well, that often seems to be what we have left.  

Though at the same time, could be reality on some level. There are some angry types out there. There's one particular poster on this forum that seems angry and whiny on most of his-them-they posts so who knows, it might be true. The get off my lawn, angry, and whiny types abound.

Kevin Lewis Aug-07-2023

I don't agree, Doc

Your honesty is quite refreshing, but I really think your self-description is a bit too harsh. And I would characterize you as whiny and angry rather than angry and whiny, in order to place the emphasis where it properly belongs.
Now, in the interest of respecting the people who actually enjoy reading the QoD, I suggest that you take this silly vendetta of yours elsewhere. This isn't a forum, and isn't the place for you to act out. The Kitchen Sink forum has the proper level of vitriol, if you need the outlet.

David Miller Aug-07-2023

I Agree Doc

 It didn't take long - he was all over your apt description of him like a duck on a june bug

John Aug-07-2023

*sigh*

If I could buy Kevin Lewis for what he is worth and then sell him for what he thinks that he is worth, I would be a very wealthy man.

O2bnVegas Aug-07-2023

sounds like one I'd written

"...a trivial ill-conceived notebook of scantily researched material."

My English Comp I college professor could have said this about my first composition.  LOL.

Heck, this same thing happened to us in Vegas, only instead of the inital polite request to take it down, we called Security, who did their job, politely I think.  Got relocated to vastly upgraded digs the next day out of it.  But neither party (us and them across the hall) was famous enough to stretch the truth a mile and make a sale out of the story.  Just a favorite anecdote from our times in Vegas.

Candy

CLIFFORD Aug-07-2023

No Way

According to a Wayne biographer, the esteemed  Morris Quackley II, the incident never happened ...just legend.  Wayne always stayed at the Golden Stallion which was one story.

[email protected] Aug-07-2023

Rx

Thanks Doc, write one

CLIFFORD Aug-07-2023

Sammy D. Jr.

Saw him in Cleveland like 1978?  He told how Sinatra told a "casino?" that Sammy must have his civil rights or you can cancel me.  And, he gave away millions to his friends as careers declined per Nancy S.  Sinatra has performed at all our family weddings...

Question of the Day - 07 August 2023

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